HERTFORDSniRE NATTTEAL niSTORY SOCIETY. XXXIU 



bounding the valley of the Ehoc on the nortli-wost has died out, a 

 greater width of Gault, forming a range of low hills to the north- 

 west of Ashwcll, can be seen, and beyond this the well-defined 

 ridge of the Lower Greensand at Sandy is distinguishable, the most 

 distant hills on the horizon being formed by the Oxford Clay of 

 Bedford and the Ouse valley. To the north-east the valley of the 

 Hhee widens out to Cambridge and the Feus beyond. 



From these tumuli, an account of the excavation of one of which 

 is given by Cussans,* the party walked along the top of the Heath 

 to Church Hill, near which was noticed the Devil's Hopscotch, as 

 a succession of nearly square enclosures, bounded by low banks 

 and lying in a small valley or depression, is locally called. It was 

 suggested that these enclosures had been used as sheep-folds or 

 pens in early times, and the name of one of the two hills between 

 which they lie — Pen Hill — was considered to favour this view. 



At Church Hill, also, the habitat of Anemone puhatilla was 

 pointed out, and here were seen the rather rare Campanula glonicrata 

 and the very rare Thcsium linophyllam ; while in other parts of 

 the Heath the equally rare Antennaria dioica and Thalictrum tninus 

 were noticed. 



The walking-party returned to Eoyston over the Heath, visiting 

 a chalk-pit near the town in which the dip of the beds to the south 

 is well defined, and joining the ladies, who had driven back, at the 

 Bank House, where Mr. F. N. Fordham kindly entertained the 

 party at tea. 



After tea the party divided, some visiting a chalk-pit on the 

 Barkway Eoad, in which a well-marked bed of flints is shown in a 

 thick-bedded compact chalk, the upper part of the section showing 

 a more thinly-bedded and broken chalk without flints, a clayey 

 band dividing the two beds; while others — the greater number- - 

 drove along the London Road (the old Ermine Street) to a point 

 about four miles south of Royston, reaching the summit of the 

 main ridge of the Chalk-outcrop near Eeed. Here a brick-field, 

 near the top of Reed Hill, showing bonldcr-clay and brick-earth, 

 was visited ; and also a chalk -pit showing a reverse dip of the beds 

 which are bent over on a line of flexure which has been traced for 

 about five miles along the line of the escarpment, the reverse dip 

 here being about thirty degrees jS'.N.W. Both the Upper and the 

 Lower Chalk are here seen divided by two bands of cream-coloured 

 chalk-rock with about fifteen feet of white chalk between them. 

 In parts of the pit which are now overgrown with vegetation, 

 Orohanche elatior, Orchis maculata, and Orchis pyramidalis were 

 seen in flower. 



The whole party assembled at Royston station at about seven, 

 the members from a distance leaving by the 7' 13 train for their 

 various destinations. 



* I 



Hist. Herts,' Odsey Hundred, p. 99. 



